No Cheap Diapers
by Heartilly Knight
Summary: A collection of short stories with every chapter about Balthier and Penelo and thier newborn baby. Balthier/Penelo, rating may change soon.
1. Chapter One: Feelings

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII. Written for the LiveJournal community 10dates, head over there if you're an LJ member; you won't regret it!

**No Cheap Diapers**

_Chapter One: Feelings_

Her stomach rose just above the embers of the fire place; the orange light a haze surrounding a large silhouette of a bump. She smiled over at him.

"Balthier, you're staring again,"

"Sorry love," he played with her left pigtail through long, slender fingers covered with ring of many makes and models; the most important being his engagement ring. "I'm awestruck by your beauty."

"Balthier, I've gained so much weight I'm too embarrassed to say the number out loud. How can you say I'm beautiful?"

He continued to play with her pigtail and shrugged. "I guess because you're just naturally beautiful, no matter what state you're in, Penelo dear."

They've been married for a little over a year now, and yet when Balthier commented his wife Penelo on her looks she still blushed like she did when they weren't an item and he flirted with her. He couldn't stifle his smile at her childish innocence, even though she was twenty-one now.

"You're such a tease Balthier." She leaned her head over to rest on his shoulder. He wrapped a muscular bronze arm around her shoulders and reminisced about the past nine months.

At first, Balthier almost resented his own child for growing inside his wife for one reason only: he was not ready for children, nor has he ever been good with them. Vaan and Ashe's children were a delight; adorable, full of energy and intelligence. But some of the stories Vaan told him around the water cooler about late night feedings, colic, and teething did not sound appealing to Balthier, and was relieved to hear that there's a low fertility count with the women in Penelo's family. Just as luck would have it, they forgot to purchase condoms one time and decided to take their chances, and nine months later Penelo would be a significantly amount heavier carrying another life inside her stomach.

Balthier grew comfortable with the idea in the past few months to the point where his breathe would quicken with excitement from looking at Penelo's figure, holding an all too important package, and brimmed with pride when thinking of his child growing up in the custom made nursery he slaved over for weeks.

He placed his large hand atop her stomach, glowering after a few minutes holding the position. "He hates me."

This caused Penelo to laugh out loud. "_She_ doesn't; don't worry, she'll kick for you eventually."

He pouted comically. "Yes, well, _he_ still has hurt me deeply."

She leaned up and planted a firm, wet, kiss on his whiskery cheek. "All better?"

"No, not at all," a wicked and playfully sinister grin spread across his face, and Penelo knew where this was going. He leaned her back with the skill of a maternity ward nurse who was putting a newborn down for a nap. He took great care not to press too much into her, as she still weighed a lot less than him including the baby weight, and caught her lips in a long, deep kiss. She could feel his mouth curl into a smile once again.

"How about now?" she asked.

He contemplated this question for a good twenty seconds, and then shook his head swiftly down at her. "Not quite," He kissed her once more, then again, then one more time, as if she were going to slip away at any moment and he would no longer be able to serenade her with kisses, nor she for him.

Yes, he knew their love wouldn't die out because of the baby, not one bit, and he no longer bore any resentment towards the fetus, but he was still fond of the memories both he and Penelo shared of being young, wild, and free, newly married kids where making love daily was as common a ritual as it was to breathe. She had but two weeks left, and honestly, he wanted to make them some of the most memorable either could ever dream of as childless man and wife, for once the baby was born, a whole new collection of happy memories and experiences will be delivered onto them, and neither were quite done being young, wild, and free Balthier and Penelo, regardless of their shared excitement and anxiety. Not one bit.

_**To be continued!**_


	2. Chapter Two: Surprise

Chapter Two: Surprise

_Chapter Two: Surprise_

He sped as fast as his legs could take him, which wasn't his normal speed as he was carrying his pregnant wife on his back and it had begun to snow. The waking, the realization, the pressure: it happened all too fast at two in the morning.

"Balthier!" she cried, trying her hardest to wake her deep sleeping husband next to her. Her jerking his shoulders began to become more violent with every passing minute. "Balthier, please wake up!"

At last he began to stir into consciousness, eyes heavy, mindset groggy. "Penelo, what is it?"

"I think my water broke," and with those words Balthier was fully snapped back into the land of the waking. The fear shock across Penelo's face told him she wasn't kidding around. Quickly, he dressed and helped her dress while she quickly threw together a suitcase of clothes. Most mothers-to-be would have gathered their things weeks in advance to the due date, but Penelo's case was different: her child was already coming several weeks ahead of schedule. The thoughts that must have ran through her head. Granted, the baby wasn't early by a long stretch of time, but premature babies still hadn't gained the full development time as normal babies, and it was winter. Who knew when they could bring him/her home?

Then again, maybe this was the start of fatherly instincts through the form of overreacting. He thought so. But could he be blamed for his exaggerated worries? After all, this was his first child, and no baby is brought into the world with a set of instructions, and from the time his infant son or daughter is born, he and Penelo must get used to relying on instinct, no matter how ridiculous it seems.

Another worrisome thought popped into his head: getting Penelo to the hospital. He had planned on renting a carriage drawn by a few chocobos so she wouldn't need to walk a few days before the due date. That plan was shot to hell now, and Balthier found himself carrying a heavy Penelo on his back and the thick handle of a leather suitcase in his mouth. The joys of fatherhood.

"Will we be there soon Baltheir?" she asked, followed by a silent agonizing moan that pained Balthier deeply.

Of course he couldn't respond back verbally, so he nodded, hoping she caught his answer.

And indeed, ten minutes later, they arrived at the emergency room. Without another word or a good glance at Penelo's stomach, a nearby nurse quickly fetched a wheel chair for the laborious woman on Balthier's back and helped her into it. He spat out the suit case and waited while the same nurse rushed back to the main desk to check for an available delivery room.

One of the many thoughts running through his head that early morning made him smile: just earlier that evening he vowed he would let Penelo have one more taste of life not being a parent with the two weeks he thought they'd still have, and now here they are at the hospital, his wife about to give birth. In a few hours, Balthier would be a father. A daddy. A parent. He could feel the pressure building behind his eyes, but maintained his composure for Penelo, which was easier said than done: this was one of the most touching moments in Balthier's life, maybe more than Penelo agreeing to be his wife or their wedding day.

"Do you want more ice, dear?" he asked his wife, who was sitting upright once again in a bed, sweat racing down her face like tears.

"N-no, I don't want any," she tried to smile without much success.

"You're doing fine Penelo. Just a little bit longer," said the nurse, switching her I.V. bag for another.

"I hope—"she was cut off by a massive contraction, this one suspiciously close to the last one. After adjusting the I.V. the nurse fled from the room and returned with the doctor who inspected Penelo's private parts (should this have been another time and another situation Balthier would've knocked the good doctor's lights out).

"It's time Penelo, are you ready?" the doctor asked.

She sighed, still containing most of her calm. "Is anyone ever really ready in this situation?" Balthier jumped to his feet from the chair beside her bed and grasped her left hand, prepared.

On his command, the doctor relayed back and forth for two hours when Penelo needed to push and when she needed to stop. Her breathing quickened, Baltheir's breathing quickened, and hell, so did the student nurse's who looked to be on the verge of fainting due to the amount of blood and placenta.

During the middle of this commotion (Penelo's somewhat stifled screams, the doctor barking orders at her and the nurses) Balthier was once again affected by that same wave of anxiety, this time a little bit distasteful. Instead of bringing his offspring into the world, a sick fantasy developed in his mind of just putting the birth off for a few more months (or a year) so he can better ready himself for the rollercoaster that is parenthood. But he quickly banished the thought, and felt apologetic to the baby afterwards. It wasn't that he hated his child; it's just that he's face many a large and frightening foe in his days and never had been as scared as he was now. There's no turning back now.

"The head is crowning," announced the doctor, peeking up over the sheet which covered Penelo's exposed uterus. A smile of joy and relief pulled at the corners of Penelo's lips, and though her eyes were heavy from exhaustion, and her face was caked with the slick moisture of sweat, it was one of the most beautiful things Balthier had ever seen and realized (the final emotion through the plethora he's felt this morning) that it was all worth. _Bring my child to me so I can love him and mold him into a man_, he thought with triumph. He's ready now.

One more hard, aching push from Penelo, and at last the room was filled with the majestic sound of a baby's first breathes. And could this kid wail!

"It's a boy!" declared the good doctor. He hoisted the child into his arms, a nurse to his side wiping most of the residue off the boy's body, and tears trickled down Penelo's face. _At last_, she thought, _I have my own child. My precious baby boy…_

"Balthier, would you care to do the honors?" the doctor handed him a piece of equipment used to cut the umbilical cord, smiling, "He's all yours now."

_You're right. He is._

With great care and instructions from the medical staff surrounding him, he gently removed his son's last physical tie to his mother's body. _There, now you're all ready to go._

But the nurse quickly fetched the screaming infant to weigh him and clean him up. Promising to bring him back, the medical fled the room in a great pack, only one left to administer more medicine to Penelo. Balthier rushed back to his wife's side, kissing her on her wet lips.

"Did he look okay Balthier? I mean, did he look _healthy_?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, he looks incredibly strong, just like his father." He planted another kiss to her forehead.

"Oh yes," interfered the nurse, though right now, neither cared that she did. "I've seen many sick babies in my years as a nurse, and your child didn't fit the category at all." She smiled, gave another quick look at the I.V., then left. Balthier once again took her hand, this time in both his larger, stronger palms.

She sighed again in relief. "Thank God. Have you thought of any names?"

Balthier never thought about it honestly, and before he could offer a response, a short, plump, nurse waddled into the room carrying a small child bundled in a blue blanket with an equally blue cap on his head.

"Here you go sugar," she said to Balthier, placing the package into his arms and turning to leave, "I'll be back shortly to put him down for some rest."

For a long time Balthier only sat and stared at his son, awestruck, completely unaware of anything else happening around him. This was indeed the final straw for his endless conflict: he loved his child more than anything now, at this moment, and knew finally what Vaan meant when he talked about the good times with your own child. He was filled with so much love for the seven pound hume in his arms, and so much love for his brave wife for helping create and bring him into the world.

He kissed his son's forehead. "Let's name him Cid."

_**To be continued!**_


	3. Chapter Three: Gift

"Surprise

Disclaimer: _People_ magazine belongs to its respected owner. _Perfect_ belongs to Judith McNaught, and _Goodnight Moon_ belongs to Margaret Wise Brown. Characters are a bit OOC here; you've been warned.

_Chapter Three: Gift_

"Surprise!" the waiting crowd in Balthier and Penelo's living room cried. Poor Penelo, just discharged from the hospital with little Cid, leapt ten feet into the air, baby in tow, dropping her suitcase to the floor.

Ashe wrapped her arms around the tiny mother. "How are you feeling honey?"

"Whuh…what is all this Ashe?" she asked.

"Well, you never had a baby shower, so everyone got together to throw you one," and, as sure as the day is long, everyone was there: Fran, Basch, Vaan, Larsa, all of their closest friends gathered in the snug room, just like old times.

Ashe all but glided through the room covered in streamers and balloons and guests, guiding Penelo to the seat of honor in the middle of the blue corner couch. She placed a colorful cardboard crown atop the blonde pigtails. Penelo glared at Balthier across the living room, suspecting a large role played by the leading man in this fiasco. He smiled lithely back, taking his sear next to Vaan, a safe distance away.

"Okay! Fran, why don't you give your present first?" Ashe recommended unusually chipper.

Gloomily, Fran's tall and slender frame rose from her seat. Obviously she hated the spotlight as much as Penelo, probably more. Popping fallen balloons with her killer stilettos, she made her way across the room and handed Penelo the large parcel decorated with light yellow paper.

"I was not sure what to get."

_Of course, mating and birthing rituals are different for the Viera. So…_what _could be in here? _Penelo thought uneasily, but smiled politely anyway.

The over anxious Ashe helped rip the paper away, and Penelo began to wonder if Ashe missed the days of babies (her two children were still very young, but growing up fast).

Underneath the paper was a plan brown box; no pictures, no words.

Upon finally tearing through the box's packaging tape (thanks to Ashe's finely manicured nails) to expose the somewhat useful but startling gift: breast pumps.

The girls were silent; the boys chuckled under their breath.

"Oh Fran, I love it-them!" she sputtered out. This was enough for Fran as her icy exterior melted into joy.

"I'm glad," she turned to take her seat. Penelo frantically placed the box on the coffee table, handling it like a contagious disease. Cid, resting in his carrier next to her, squealed with glee at his mother's discomfort.

"Okay, don't think anyone could top that one," murmured Ashe, regaining her perkiness. "Who's next?"

"How about ours baby?" Vaan suggested before Ashe shot him a cold stare.

"No, not until the finale," she hissed through her teeth. "Basch!" she yelled. "You're next!"

"Okay," he struggled to drag his large and misshapen present. Penelo examined the package, quickly determining that this gift was anything but practical as she tore through the paper. What she saw couldn't be any closer to the truth.

"You…had your knight boots bronzed?" the big chunks of metal were tall enough to meet the bottom ridge of her eyes, and the openings were large enough to loose Cid in for days. However he did seem intrigued by the big foreign yellow structures.

Basch waited eagerly for Penelo's response; Ashe stifled a laugh.

"Thank you Basch, this means a lot," another polite smile. Balthier gazed at the atrocity, wondering where to put the outlandish boots; they weren't exactly the most ideal centerpiece for _any_ home.

"All right," said Ashe, still giggling. "Larsa, you're up."

He stood with pride from the metal folding chair (obviously thinking his gift will be the best, by Penelo's judgment) and walked over in two easy strides, his new found body growth aiding him.

"Penelo, this is for _you_," he whispered, careful not to wake the now sleeping Cid. He handed her a rectangular block expertly wrapped and elegant. Penelo knew Larsa always had a crush on her, from the first time they met to the day of her wedding when he wept openly as she exchanged vows with Balthier. He seemed fine now, but Baltheir wasn't helping that cause, stabbing the young boy with invisible knives with his eyes, as if gloating about winning some unknown competition.

Slowly Penelo reached for the gift, slightly jumping as Cid stirred in his sleep. She still cared so much about Larsa, as a younger brother, and didn't want to make any accidental false moves the boy would misinterpt for affection or any other wrong emotion.

"Thank you Larsa, I'm sure it will be lovely." She whispered back. Pulling the bow free she saw the object was actually wrapped in a quaint bag made of royal blue wrapping paper accompanied by shimmering silver carnations. _Leave it to Larsa to make every presentation fancy. _Carefully she tore the tape binding the bag closed and pulled the object out. It was a beautiful blue leather bound photo album.

She gasped, still keeping her voice low. "Larsa, it's wonderful," she traced the wrinkles in the leather.

"Open it," he told her, smiling still. She obeyed orders and received yet _another_ shock, this one more inappropriate than the others.

"It's full of pictures, pictures of you posing in your underwear!" she shrieked as Balthier leapt to his feet, feeling no qualms to pound the living daylights out of the boy.

"Yes, this one is a particularly fetching one of me," he pointed out.

"You're wearing a leopard print thong!" she yelled once more. This time it took both Vaan _and_ Basch to hold her predatory husband back, all the while Cid slept peacefully.

"Hey-!" cried Ashe. "You took this one on _my _bed!"

"You have a lovely bed set, princess," he said matter of factly, still retaining that young innocence.

"That's it!" Balthier broke free from his friends grasps, picked Larsa up by the collar, and tossed him out the front door. After that he took the photo album from his wife and threw it away in the trash can. Once he returned from the kitchen he pointed at Ashe.

"I believe you are the last," he barked, eyeing their large box. At once she jumped to her feet, holding onto one side of the box while Vaan pushed on the other side, together scooting it over to Penelo.

But she felt hopeless about this one, what with the crazy assortment of gifts she received today, wishing the whole ordeal was over. Luckily Ashe took the liberty onto herself and tore through the paper, noticing Penelo's overall enthusiasm had vanished.

A wave of relief washed over Penelo; finally a gift that was practical. A state of the art, expensive, five-star rated crib; one she remembered awing over in _People_ while reading an article on the must haves for mothers-to-be.

While she glowed and beamed with happiness, Penelo couldn't help but notice Baltheir was no where to be found.

"Thank you Ashe," she jumped and wrapped her arms around the princess' waist, the others cussing softly under their breath, with the exception of Vaan, Cid continuing to sleep.

Penelo then realized that maybe the party wasn't a complete waste.

_Maybe_, but she had a bad feeling about something she just couldn't pin point.

Vaan stayed over so he could assemble the crib while Ashe hurried home with the others to relieve the babysitter of duty, Balthier still missing in action.

_Probably at the pub down the street again._

When the crib reached completion, dragged upstairs to the baby room, and Vaan gloating of how he did such a fine job putting the baby's bed together had all ended, Penelo was left alone to think and to attend to the tedious task of putting a fussy Cid to sleep.

_Where's Balthier? I could really use some help. _She pondered after several readings of _Goodnight Moon _and more than a few bottles of warm pumped breast milk (she figured since she had it that she might as well get some use of Fran's gift, regardless of the extreme discomfort of using the contraption).

At last, through her periless efforts, Cid was exhausted enough to go to sleep in his new crib for which. She decided to wait for her AWOL husband down in the living room, her torn up paper back _Perfect_ in hand while she made herself comfortable on the couch. Perhaps a little too comfortable, for she was out like a light the moment her head touched the throw pillow.

One in the morning, the front door of the once quiet house swung open nosily, a black figure cursing and dragging in some large object. Penelo sprung back to consciousness, dropping the paper back to the hard wood floor, alert now and on her feet. Her eyes adjusted to find the black cursing (and now panting) figure was none other than Balthier.

"What are you doing?" she asked, hurrying over to him only to run into what ever it was he dragged into the foyer, pressing her stomach hard into the solid item. She winced and yelped, her torso not yet recovered from giving birth. He quickly hurried to her side, gently placing an arm around her waist for support. "What is this?" she breathed.

He guided her through the dark to the light switch, flipping it on. There in front on the open door was a gorgeous, cherry wood crib, old but still sturdy, the red of the wood still vibrant. For a long moment Penelo stood speechless in awe, marveling over the fine piece of craftsmanship.

"What is this?" she repeated once she could find her voice.

He chuckled. "It was my crib when I was a baby. I've kept it in storage for all these years, waiting to use it," he walked her around the magnificent piece of wood so she could absorb its entire feature. "It also was my gift to you this afternoon, until…"

She stopped him with her thrilled and joyous eyes, which sparkled with the onset of tears.

_Oh no_, he thought, _they told me she could become overly emotional when home from the hospital, but I had hoped…_

"I love it," she finally spoke, interrupting his mental whining.

"What about that elaborate, start of the art crib?"

"How'd you know it was state of the art?" she propped up one eyebrow.

He laughed again. "Because you couldn't stop talking about it after you read that confound article in _People_."

She shook her head, remembering. But she couldn't help but let her emotions run free. "I know, I know. But this one is so much more special," wrapping her arms around his waist, she laid her head against his shoulder.

His arms positioned themselves both on the upper and lower of her back, pulling her closer. "Oh?"

"Yes. Sure, the one upstairs has all the awards and guarantees, but no meaning behind it; nothing special about it except the fact that a good friend wanted to show our other friends how great her present would be by buying the most expensive thing in the store."

He laughed at this, knowing the brief description matched a part of Ashe's personality perfectly. "True."

"I want this one Balthier, not that hunk of plastic my baby is sleeping in now. I mean, how can you _really_ know if it's safe? I think it only made it in _People _because it was a big brand name."

"All right love, if that's what you want, I'll exchange them tomorrow." He crushed his lips into her blonde hair, she snuggling closer to them.

Being as exhausted and fatigued as they were, Balthier and Penelo decided on camping out on the pull out bed from the couch, but not before carefully taking Cid from his current resting spot, tip toeing down the old, creaky hallway, passing through the talkative wooden stairs, and into the new one, his father's crib.

_His _crib.

Together, the family slept in the living room, finally whole, finally happy together in the house they would make and share many memories to come.

And that was the greatest gift of all.


End file.
